Who doesn’t like Lil Baby? The Atlanta rapper has ascended to stardom while transcending regional boundaries as one of the hottest and most trusted voices in rap right now. His ability to work with the grittiest up-and-comers, like he recently did with Rob49 on “Vulture Island V2,” to slide on records with Kanye West and Nicki Minaj is a testament to his consistency and work ethic.
There really isn’t a rapper that Baby can’t smoothly collaborate with, which is evident as ever on Vince Staples’ Ramona Park Broke My Heart. Vince and Lil Baby connect on “East Point Prayer,” a somber reflection of Vince’s brief stint in Georgia. It’s an unexpected collaboration that forges together two distinct voices in this generation of rap over gloomy production from Kenny Beats and Reske.
During our recent interview with Vince Staples, he explained that the geographical connection between Lil Baby and “East Point Prayer” was a secondary factor in the ATL rapper’s inclusion. Baby naturally fit within the realm of what Vince was trying to execute sonically, and it ended up working seamlessly.
Vince Staples digital cover - Photo by Zamar Velez for HNHH
“Just sounded right. It wasn’t much past that. Just thought it would sound good. That’s pretty much my only reasoning to ever do musically is ‘cause I think I’ll like it,” he said on Baby’s inclusion on the record. “He’s a good dude and a good artist and a very, very, very, very hardworking person. Everybody likes Lil Baby. I think that’s self-explanatory but just sounded like it would be a good pairing. Just trying to put the music first.”
Keep your eyes peeled for our upcoming digital cover story with Vince Staples, dropping Monday, April 18. Until then, stream Vince's new album here and read our album review here.